Coral resilience defies climate doom: New studies reveal ancient reefs flourished in warmer seas
08/22/2025 / By Willow Tohi
Historical coral growth surged during the Holocene (6,000–10,000 years ago) when oceans were 1–2°C warmer and sea levels 1–2 meters higher than today.
Modern coral decline linked to shallow waters, not warming—reefs expanded rapidly when deeper “accommodation space” was available.
Great Barrier Reef’s “turn-off” periods coincided with cold phases (e.g., Little Ice Age), not heat, with growth resuming when temperatures rose.
Sea-level variability, not CO?, drove reef health—higher seas created ideal conditions for expansion, while falling levels stunted growth.
Current climate policies ignore geological context—corals adapted to natural warming before, raising questions about doomsday narratives.
For decades, scientists and policymakers have warned that rising sea temperatures and ocean levels spell doom for the world’s coral reefs. Yet emerging research from Indonesia’s ancient reefs and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) tells a starkly different story: Corals not only survived but thrived when oceans were significantly warmer and sea levels far higher than today.
https://www.climate.news/2025-08-22-new-studies-ancient-reefs-flourished-in-warmer-seas.html
